Most people know Maurice Sendak and his book Where The Wild Things Are, which, since its publication 50 years ago, has transported millions of children around the world to a darkly magical island in their minds. But who’s this Tomi Ungerer guy whom Sendak says taught him “to be braver than I was”?

Set to release their 10th studio album, Earth Rocker, Maryland hard rockers Clutch are stopping at Revolution in Ft. Lauderdale on May 10. Fellow Maryland-based band Lionize and Austin, TX, heavy rockers The Sword, who released the critically-acclaimed LP Apocryphon in October, will open for Clutch. Tickets are $21 and go on sale on March 1.

Here’s your heads up on a musical maelstrom touching down in Miami on Friday, June 7. Headlined by Danish punks Iceage and Lower, this must-see show will also include sets by South Florida’s New Coke and Suede Dudes. Learn more.

Miami, say goodbye to Arboles Libres. Don’t worry. Singer Juan “Nacho” Londono, guitarist Eddie Moreno, and drummer Anthony Genovese are not ditching their hometown, though they are making a drastic change.

The Sunday Stroll will feature neighborhood “hotspots” like the Little Haiti Cultural Center, pictured here during a performance of a vodou ritual. — photo by Robby Campbell

With the increasing number and volume of complaints about Wynwood’s Second Saturday Art Walk and its rowdy atmosphere, a Little Haiti-based coalition is inviting the culturally curious to explore a different Miami neighborhood. Spearheaded by Yo Miami with the support of Sweat Records, the Little Haiti Cultural Center, and other neighborhood anchors, the first Little Haiti Sunday Stroll will take place from noon to 6 p.m. on March 3.

Aaron Freeman calls his first solo album “a universal agreement between the soul of Rod McKuen and my own.” — photo via glidemagazine.com

Aaron Freeman is best known as Gene Ween, the singing half of alternative rock duo Ween. With a stunningly versatile repertoire and oddball lyrical content (see “Flies on My Dick” and “The HIV Song”), Gene and Dean Ween earned a cult following throughout the late ’80s and ’90s, even scoring an improbable hit in 1992 with “Push th’ Little Daisies” off of their major-label debut, Pure Guava.

“The ‘garage’ scene doesn’t want much change,” says Morales. “Kids feel threatened when you come in through the window instead of the door.” — photo by Nancy Mae Perez

After earning the #7 spot in our Top 50 South Florida Songs of 2011 with a track off of their 7″ debut release, Lake Worth trio New Coke — comprising singer/guitarist Danny Morales, guitarist Gabe Schnirnan, and drummer Steve McKeane — spent last year working on a new record and playing a few shows around Florida. Well, the near silence was worth the wait, as New Coke’s second release proves from its very first strum. Recorded with Torche’s Johnathan Nuñez and mastered by Carl Saff (who has also worked with Unsane and Guided By voices), the three-track 7″ makes its digital premiere (under a working title) here on Beached Miami ahead of a possible hard-copy release via Slovenly Records, whose owner invited New Coke to play in the label’s SXSW showcase on March 14. In the meantime, you can stream all the tracks from New Coke’s bandcamp after the jump.

Ever feel like a demon’s stalking you? Maybe you just need to learn how to fall in love. That’s ICECREAM’s advice on “Blessings”, a listless lullaby of a track off of the doom-pop foursome’s upcoming second album, His Approval. Here’s the “Blessings” video, directed by Xander Robin around Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where ICECREAM moved from Miami last year.

Valentine’s Day evokes different emotions in different folks depending on how likely one is to get laid, or at least a box of chocolate, on this loaded holiday. To celebrate the agony and the ecstasy, the joy and the pity, the lonesomeness and, ultimately, the love, here’s a playlist of songs that are appropriate (however inappropriate) for the occasion. Curated by Miami Music Guide editor and William “Don Juan” Alton, these Valentunes are all by local bands. Gotta love that.

Frank “Rat Bastard” Falestra’s annual celebration of noise took over Churchill’s Pub from Wednesday through Saturday. Acts from as far as Denver and Boston made the trek to join a host of local bands with a frantic 15-minute set time limit. Performance styles ranged from Clang Quartet’s intense Christian noise performance filled with colorful and disturbing prop instruments to Unicorn Hard-on’s dance-inducing “Technoise” beats. Click on the photos here to view them in wide format, and visit the Beached Miami Facebook page to browse many more photos from International Noise Conference 2013.